Palaniswami, Dhinakaran, Panneerselvam demand immediate withdrawal of power tariff hike

AIADMK leaders criticize DMK regime for power tariff hike, calling for withdrawal to ease burden on people.

The AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Tuesday, July 16, 2-24 came down heavily on the DMK regime for the latest hike in power tariff and said the State government could have followed the Centre’s order of absorbing the entire losses of the State power utility, by itself, as his party had done, when it was in power. 

In a statement, he gave an account of various measures of the government in the last three years to substantiate his point that hardship was caused to people. Alluding to the bungling in the distribution of Pongal gift hamper in 2022, Mr. Palaniswami recalled the increase in the rates of property tax, water consumption charges and several dairy products, the first power tariff hike in September 2022 and the second increase in September 2023. 

The AIADMK leader also referred to the reported shortage of pulses and edible in the public distribution system.   

In a post on his social media handle, the AMMK general secretary, T.T. V. Dhinakaran, recalled that in 2022, the quantum of increase in power tariff was 30% followed by 2.18% next year and 4.83% this time. Even though the State government had denied reports of the power tariff increase at the time of Lok Sabha election, its action of causing additional burden to the people was condemnable. Chief Minister M.K Stalin, who had criticised Mr. Palaniswami when the latter was in power for a similar step, had “betrayed” the public every year.  

In a separate statement, the ADMK Workers’ Rights’ Retrieval Committee coordinator, O. Panneerselvam, pointed out that in real terms, the power tariff increase would mean to every domestic consumer the additional expenditure, ranging from ₹0.2 per unit ₹ 0.55 per unit. Every family would have to shell out a minimum of ₹500 per month. 

As for the sequence of increases in power tariff, Mr. Pannerselvam observed that perhaps, this was for the first time in the State that the increase had been made in such a short time. “Possibly, another name for Dravidian Model government is anti-people action,” the coordinator added.  

All the leaders called for an immediate withdrawal of the tariff increase.